After Saving The Disabled Villain, I Was Attacked In Return! - Chapter 49

Jiang Yu was genuinely frightened by these revelations. She had initially only wanted to investigate to ensure the General’s Residence wasn’t implicated, never expecting it to involve others—or even a potential coup.

Fengmen Village’s role in the original story must extend beyond just targeting the General’s Residence, Jiang Yu thought instinctively. There must be another purpose.

“Is that all you know?” Qi An asked with a smile, her beauty renowned throughout the Capital. Her smile alone made the man doubt she had ever choked him. But as she leaned closer, her red lips curving, an overwhelming aura of danger radiated from her.

The man, who had prided himself on navigating the eerie Fengmen Village for days, hearing strange noises at night, had never felt such terror—until this woman’s oppressive presence overwhelmed him.

“Truly, truly, I’m just a hired hand! He couldn’t possibly have told me everything! For lackeys like us, it doesn’t matter who the Emperor is, so…” The man lowered his gaze, terrified that an unsatisfactory answer would cost him his life. Qi An scrutinized him carefully; he didn’t seem to be lying. But Qi An never left potential threats behind.

“Thank you for answering,” Qi An said, looking at the man with intense sincerity. In the next instant, a dagger hidden in her sleeve shot toward his throat.

In the blink of an eye, the man collapsed onto the ground. Under the night’s veil, his blood was difficult to see. Jiang Yu stared at his neck, watching crimson liquid seep slowly out, pooling into a small puddle.

“Qi… Qi An…” Jiang Yu stammered, stuttering slightly as she met Qi An’s gentle gaze.

Qi An lowered her head slowly, like a child who had made a mistake. “If I hadn’t killed him, the Bone Tribe would have moved camp overnight. Then we’d be hunting in the dark, and that would be even harder to deal with. If you think I’m ruthless, you can punish me.”

Qi An’s bowed head was so innocent, Jiang Yu almost forgot what she had just done. She slowly crouched down. “Qi An, are you scared?”

Qi An was startled for a moment, then looked hurt. “Mm-hmm.”

Jiang Yu quickly pulled Qi An into her arms. Qi An rested her head on Jiang Yu’s shoulder like a child, and when a cold wind blew by, she even nuzzled Jiang Yu’s neck.

Jiang Yu, tickled by Qi An’s nuzzling, laughed and stood up, taking Qi An’s arm. Her eyes sparkled like stars. “Since we’ve gathered all the information we need, shall we head back?”

Qi An nodded and effortlessly dragged the man’s corpse into the coffin in the small hut, closed the lid with ease, and dusted off her hands, as if loathing to touch the man.

Jiang Yu had stood outside the entire time, her expression not showing fear, but calm composure.

When Qi An emerged, she noticed Jiang Yu’s demeanor and suddenly felt that the girl wasn’t as naive as she appeared. At least, she wasn’t foolish. Her ability to quickly recover from such a shocking scene likely stemmed from more than just trust in Qi An.

It also required remarkable mental fortitude.

This was actually a good thing. Qi An didn’t dwell on it further. Having gathered the necessary information and pinpointed the Bone Tribe’s location, she planned to report them to Shuntian Prefecture the next day.

However… without proper identification, it would be difficult to take action. Qi An pressed her fingers against her temples, nodded, and sat back down in her wheelchair. For now, returning to the manor was the wisest course of action. So, Jiang Yu pushed Qi An up the slope.

Both of them were lost in their own thoughts. To get out of Fengmen Village, they had to climb this small hill. Going down was easy, but going up was quite difficult.

As Jiang Yu pushed the wheelchair, she realized something was off. She stopped and steadied the chair, raising an eyebrow at Qi An. “Qi An, I just saw you stand up, didn’t I?”

Qi An, still seated in the wheelchair, froze. After a moment, he gave an embarrassed smile, obediently got out of the wheelchair, and pushed it up the hill himself.

After walking for a while, Qi An noticed Jiang Yu hadn’t followed. His heart skipped a beat. He quickly set the wheelchair down and ran back, his legs now moving freely without any sign of his previous inability to stand. This sight left Jiang Yu feeling both deceived and angry.

“Qi An! Why didn’t you tell me your legs were healed?” Jiang Yu demanded, hands on her hips. Despite wearing a servant’s padded jacket, her noble bearing shone through, unobstructed.

Qi An stammered, “You said… if my legs healed, you’d let me go.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yu froze. So Qi An really wanted to leave? A lump formed in her throat. “Then… do you want to leave? I can let you go.”

Qi An shook her head and walked over to hold Jiang Yu’s hands. “It’s because I don’t want to leave the General’s Residence that… I didn’t want you to know my legs were healed.”

Qi An hadn’t expected that voicing her thoughts would feel somewhat liberating. She looked up at Jiang Yu, no longer feeling the need to hide or evade.

Now understanding Qi An’s reluctance to leave, Jiang Yu nodded, the fear that had gripped her heart finally dissipating.

Instead of pressing Qi An about why she’d kept her secret, Jiang Yu took her arm and walked forward. Looking at Qi An’s fully healed legs, Jiang Yu felt like crying.

Finally… Qi An’s legs had been restored with her help. Though many plot points had inevitably followed the original story, at least in this aspect, Jiang Yu had perfectly assisted Qi An through it.

Qi An no longer needed to beg for medicine or food; she could live peacefully at the General’s Residence.

As they climbed the small hill and turned back to look at Fengmen Village under the silent night, Qi An gripped Jiang Yu’s hand, her fingers icy cold.

Qi An glanced at Jiang Yu apologetically, then tried to find a place to abandon her wheelchair. But after looking around, she couldn’t bring herself to part with it.

“Sit back down. I’ll push you home. If Lu Wu sees the wheelchair’s gone tomorrow, she’ll be all over us trying to figure out what happened.” Jiang Yu’s eyes curved into crescents as she tilted her head and looked at Qi An.

Something seemed to stir within Qi An. She nodded vigorously, like a child, and obediently sat back down, then eagerly began turning the wheels herself.

When Jiang Yu learned that Qi An’s legs were healed, the lingering pain and guilt that had haunted her finally vanished. She stopped offering to push Qi An, and only now did she feel they were truly interacting as normal friends.

By this time, most of the street candles had been extinguished, the festive atmosphere fading as the Capital’s bustling streets returned to their usual liveliness. Jiang Yu seemed deeply comforted by this familiar scene.

Jiang Yu finally regained her usual chatty self, dragging Qi An into a detailed account of her terror in Fengmen Village. As they walked, however, they suddenly realized something was amiss.

“Can we really just go back like this?” Jiang Yu asked, stumped by her own question. They had clearly come from the corner gate outside the city. Were they supposed to strut through the main gate of the General’s Residence now?

No one with a brain would think that, right? Jiang Yu was suddenly stuck. If they had to go back the same way, they’d have to pass through the city gate again. They’d already spent all their money on the last trip, and they hadn’t brought enough this time.

Still haunted by her fear of Fengmen Village, Jiang Yu turned to Qi An for help. But Qi An, unfazed, simply turned her wheelchair and headed toward the city gate.

Logically, swaggering back to the General’s Residence now would only result in another kneeling punishment in the Ancestral Hall. Emotionally, taking the small path outside the city was also the shorter route.

The soldiers guarding the city gate were just changing shifts, standing by the gatehouse and beginning to remove their armor when they spotted the two women approaching from afar. The soldiers were puzzled. Shouldn’t they have returned directly to the General’s Residence after completing their investigation? Why are they leaving the city again?

The soldiers voiced their confusion, but showed no intention of stopping them. This time, Qi An spoke first: “We discovered our errand wasn’t fully completed. We need to leave the city to finish it and don’t know when we’ll return. Thank you for your understanding, young man.”

Seeing the maid’s polite demeanor, the soldier also felt a bit embarrassed. The silver they had given him earlier was already more than enough. He quickly dismissed the other soldiers, secretly opened a side gate, and let Qi An and Jiang Yu pass through. He watched them walk away before closing the gate.

Jiang Yu hadn’t expected it to be so easy. Could it really be because they recognized her? Qi An didn’t offer any further explanation, instead leading Jiang Yu down the familiar path to the General’s Residence with practiced ease. As they walked, an unsettling silence fell. Jiang Yu shivered and clutched Qi An’s hand, claiming she was worried Qi An might catch cold.

Qi An’s lips curved slightly, but she said nothing. Instead, she gently squeezed Jiang Yu’s hand in return. This silent reassurance was the most comforting thing Jiang Yu could have hoped for.

A sweet smile spread across Jiang Yu’s face, warmth flooding her heart. Despite the winter chill, the familiar path back no longer felt so frightening. After all, she had endured the eerie atmosphere of Fengmen Village. Now, all she could feel was the warmth radiating from Qi An’s hand.

For some reason, as Jiang Yu glanced down at Qi An’s slender, beautiful hands, her ears tinged pink, and her cheeks burned. She recalled that day when Qi An bathed behind the screen, her alluring shoulders and back so captivating.

Fortunately, it was night, and Jiang Yu’s slightly flushed cheeks went unnoticed. She cleared her throat awkwardly. “Ahem, Qi An… you’re really beautiful!”

The sudden compliment made Qi An’s hand unconsciously tighten. She forced herself to keep walking, but Jiang Yu, lost in thought, nearly tripped.

“Qi An! Can’t you be a little gentler with me?” Jiang Yu’s eyes reddened slightly, though whether from embarrassment or something else was unclear.

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